Our native red cedar is the hardy counterpart of the south European cypresses that have made us so envious of Italian gardens. Its 
variable form makes it desirable for all kinds of planting. Chas. Leavitt, landscape architect 
The Four Best Evergreens 
THE EVERGREENS TO CHOOSE FOR VIGOR AND PERMANENCE— 
THE SUPERIORITY OF NATIVE SPECIES FOR LOCAL CONDITIONS 
by Arthur 
Photographs by Nathan 
T HE best evergreen trees for eastern gardens are natives of 
the eastern states and yet it is exceptional to find them as 
a prominent and permanent feature in the planting scheme of the 
average country home. We need them and should plant them 
freely, not merely for the warmth and shelter they impart, but 
especially for their cheery effectiveness in the winter landscape. 
It is strange that our native evergreen trees have been so 
neglected in this regard, but by sheer force of circumstances we 
will soon be compelled to turn to them and find in them the only 
solution for the difficulties of planting evergreens that endure 
and grow successfully. 
Experience teaches, and some of us have learned a recent les¬ 
son that cannot lightly be disregarded. The death roll among 
evergreens in gardens and nurseries as revealed to us this spring 
was appalling and certainlv most discouraging to many who have 
tried to make the home more attractive with choice plantings. 
The loss has not been confined to recent plantings but many speci¬ 
mens of large size and groups of many vears’ standing have suc- 
Herrington 
R. Graves and others 
cumbed to conditions, not to extreme cold; they have withstood 
many colder winters, but cold drying winds plus a prolonged 
drought proved a combination of conditions that will not have 
happened in vain if we heed the lesson taught. The advent of 
spring made this plainly apparent. Cheapness and availability 
must hereafter be subordinated to other important essentials that 
have not in the past been considered of primary importance. 
What has happened once can, and does, happen again, and there 
should in consequence thereof be a careful revision of our plant¬ 
ing lists, if the art of good garden planning and planting is to 
be permanently progressive. The prevailing conditions of the 
fall, winter and spring of 1910-11 have unquestionably demon¬ 
strated that certain evergreens easily raised and quickly grown 
into adaptable stock are, in spite of their natural attractivenesss, 
lacking one all important essential — that of permanent stability. 
The losses so manifest this spring may tend to add to the dis¬ 
like of, or prejudice against evergreens one sometimes encoun¬ 
ters, unless it can be clearly shown that unsatisfactory results in 
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